


0 going on 250

by thebaddestwitch



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: All Hail The Goalies, Drabble, FC Bayern München, Fiction, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26561677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebaddestwitch/pseuds/thebaddestwitch
Summary: Just two ex-captains of Schalke 04 having a brief one-on-one about life.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	0 going on 250

It's Alex' first official game at Bayern, the first against his former club. He will watch from the stands as a sub, which is— as agreed. It's fine. Even if something happened to Manu, it would be Sven, not him, who would replace their captain. Which, again, as agreed. But now they are warming up, so that's what he tries concentrate on, especially that he can feel that his focus is slithering. His balls to Manu are not precise enough, and that has to stop - if he can only do a warm-up, it's the warm-up that should be impressive. 

There are some fans allowed in, for the first time since March, and though the arena still feels almost empty, the small group of Schalke ultras make themselves seen and heard. It's mostly Manu, who they seem passionate about, who they've been passionate about for the last— what— 15 years? It pokes Alex's pride a tad. This living, breathing legacy of Manu all around him is humbling, at the very least. On the other hand, it's kind of nice, not having to be the most hated person around. Manu took care of that issue for all Schalke alumni, for decades. But there is an "FC Traitors" banner right in sight, and that clearly involves Alex as well, and fuck, he doesn't want to be "just another snake" either. 

"All is well, Alex?" Manu asks him as they walk off the pitch. Their relationship has been collegial so far, and that's already more than what Alex has expected. He's been reading the press, after all. If only half of the gossip has truth to it, Manu is not exactly overjoyed to have him around. Sven even less so, understandably. Nevertheless, the training's been good so far, the squad welcoming, hard working, and the mood, god, it's poles apart, compared to what was going on in Gelsenkirchen before Alex left. What's still going on, based on what he hears. It's honestly a relief, being here, with these guys.

"Yeah, sure," he says. He'd rather play, of course. He'd feel way less vulnerable in the goal, doing something, and boy, wouldn't that be nice? None of those things will he admit to Manu, of course. 

Manu looks at him, head tilted, eyes narrowed. He's not sure he should push this further. If they are anything alike, the result can only be awkward. And maybe they are not alike at all, and he's just projecting. Alex looks quite ok, in general, grounded and balanced, way less lost than Manu felt back then. He's almost jealous of the kid, retrospectively. 

"It never stopped being a bit strange," Manu says anyways. "The Schalke games."

"Does it still— you know—" Alex says after a few silent steps, gesturing towards the stands

"Hurt?" Manu finishes his question. "No, not really. I get what a team means to people," he shrugs. "Most of them don't get what it's like to make such decisions at twenty-something."

"And what about them?" Alex asks as they pass by a group of Schalke players. 

"We can all outgrow things," Manu says. "Even things we love." 

Today is his 250th Bundesliga match with Bayern. Sometimes it feels as if everything that had happened before the first one is several lives away. He is not unaffected by the hate he gets, but he's been using it from early on to remind himself of how far he has come. How far he still wants to go. And the best revenge really is massive success - not just the trophies, but finding a new family, finding himself. Alex does not have that buffer, that perspective yet. He will sit and watch and hope that he hasn't screwed it up, that he, too, will get to have all those things one day. If anyone knows how much guts it must have taken to come here, and go through this, it's Manu, so regardless of what he thinks of Alex's decision otherwise, it feels just fair to acknowledge that courage at least. There are not many, who will, for a multitude of reasons.

"Yeah," Alex hums. Manu's words shouldn't mean this much to him, he doesn't want them to, but they do. Yet another thing he won't tell Manu. 

"Why so serious, gangly goalies?" they hear Thomas' cheerful voice from the tunnel then. Manu flips him off with a wide smile and raises his hand to fist bump Alex.

"Have a good one, Captain," Alex says. 

"I will, thanks," Manu nods.

Two guys from the Ruhr, who happened to lead the same team, made the same leap of faith, and want the same thing - maybe that's all they have in common. Then again, for better or worse, that's quite a lot, isn't it?


End file.
